Valerie Pecresse wants to turn Paris into Europe's leading financial centre but says her region is not in a war with London

Declining to reveal names, she said: “Some are big multinationals and some others are small.

“We’re rolling out the blue-white-red carpet.”

It is thought she has some banks in her sights, and speaking shortly after the EU referendum result she said her region was not in a war with London but did want to make Paris Europe’s top financial centre.

Her regional authority forked out several million euros on an advertising campaign unleashed on 24 June, the day after the vote, promoting her region as an alternative to London.

The advertisement said: “Move on, join Paris and its opportunities.”

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